New York, Oct 14: A US appeals court has revived a lawsuit against Pfizer Inc. that charges the world's largest pharmaceutical firm of conducting improper drug trials on children in Nigeria, lawyers in the case have said. The plaintiffs in the case -- around two dozen Nigerian families -- allege their children were injured or even died after Pfizer conducted the trial of a new antibiotic, Trovan, without fully informing them of the risks.
The trial was carried out during a 1996 meningitis outbreak in Nigeria.
Last year, a US district court dismissed the case on the grounds that the United States was not the appropriate venue for the litigation, which should be heard in Nigeria. The appeals court, however, overturned that decision and remanded the case back to the district court.
Elaine Kusel, a partner in the New York law firm representing the plaintiffs, welcomed the decision yesterday. "It is important that US companies be held accountable in our courts for their conduct that harms unprotected foreign nationals," she said. In a statement, Pfizer said it still agreed with the original trial court decision that the United States was not the "proper forum" for the case.
"Pfizer also believes that the claims are without merit and that the company acted in accordance with accepted medical and ethical practises," said the statement. Bureau Report